Email ping pong: It’s a love/hate thing.

Managing your scheduling is no small task, after all.

First, you’ve got to have your email open, or your phone ready to ring, in case a prospective client happens to request a call, session or gig. Business is certainly a 24/7 endeavor these days...even if it does happen to be your daughter’s first birthday party, or your 20th wedding anniversary, or, you know, your day off. (Funny business owner joke.)

Then, when you do receive a message or a call, you’ve got to drop everything and pounce on it, because you wouldn’t want to lose the business, right? Maybe they’ll get impatient and go with your competitor. Or maybe they’ll have lost their interest by the time you end up getting back to them. You certainly don’t want to lose any good opportunities.

So then, as your cramped little fingers type away on your iPhone, or your tablet, or your laptop, or one of the many devices you’re frantically trying to stay connected to, you’ve got to quickly review your calendar, figure out your availability, put your best foot forward, make the client feel seen and heard, and try to respond in a way that’ll hopefully get the business in the door. (Which sometimes equals matching their, ahem, enthusiasm.)

And then, of course, you go through what we call...the first deadly round of email roulette.

You suggest a time.

They suggest a different one.

You suggest another time.They can’t make it then. You jiggle your schedule around.

Another round of emails happen.And then finally, if you’re lucky, the stars align, and you find a good date and time that works for both of you.

...That is, if one person doesn’t need to reschedule, effectively starting the chain all over again.

No, managing a schedule is no small task—that’s for sure.

And yet, as small business owners and big companies alike, we’ve all got to do the crazy, dirty, maddening work called schedulinglogistics, every single day to keep the engine running. But that doesn’t mean we necessarily like it—wink—and it doesn’t mean we’re always the best at it, either. After all, it’s not all cherry popsicles and apple martinis; we’ve got companies to run, right?

The Beginning

That’s exactly where Acuity founder Gavin Zuchlinski found himself, once upon a time in the year 2006. Or rather, that’s where he found his dear mom, Kim, struggling with her massage therapy business. Just as she’d settle in to begin a session with a client, the phone would ring, instantly birthing a pit in the bottom of her stomach. Should she leave the client to get the phone? Leave the phone to be with the client? How was she supposed to do it all? After all, she only had so many hands. And in a job where your hands are what people are paying for, this wasn’t just a cute dilemma—it was her bottom line.

Zuchlinski, an avid developer with a background in software development, network security, and usability, decided there had to be a better way. After all, isn’t this why we had technology? Weren’t we suppose to be living better and better... not more and more stressed out?

And so the very first beta version of Acuity Scheduling was born. Now, small business owners like Kim, and big organizations and corporations alike, never have to deal with deadly email & phone roulette ever again. Our technology takes care of it on your behalf, letting clients, customers, employees and people worldwide book, cancel and even reschedule appointments and schedule meetings with you automatically...without you having to lift a finger. Or be on call 24/7. Or even open your inbox.

Fast forward to present day

Acuity now supports over 50,000 businesses and major corporations (many of which we’re honored to say you’re familiar with) and has had a (digital!) hand in helping to schedule millions of appointments and scheduling logistics worldwide. (Time zones are no match for our technology!)

We’re happily based in New York City, and this Big Apple lovin’ team is on one really big mission: To not only be the best dang online scheduler ever now (official title), but remain it for a veryyyyyyy long time to come.

Our Obsession

And that means one really big, exciting, glowy, doe-eyed truth: We’re proud to be ultra, hyper focused on continuing to kill it in the online calendar world (not to be confused with homicide, and yes, espresso helps). Online scheduling is our baby, and while we’re continually tempted to take a stroll down all sorts of other avenues—we could add email marketing! we could collect reviews! we could make the calendar dispense licorice!—we’ve made a VSV (very serious vow) to avoid all of the shiny objects and do what we do best: Scheduling. Yours. (Also: Arrested Development marathons.)

This is our muse. Our obsession. Our greatest love affair. And we know that the minute you join our family, we may very well become yours.

Because all the ick involved in scheduling your business?

Shouldn’t be icky.

It should be easy.

Precisely why we are. ;)

Welcome to Acuity Scheduling: The #1 online scheduling tool for busy people who love easy, beautiful, seamless and yes...even free.